Massage roller



Dec. 11, 1962 L. KARLIK --.--MASSAGE ROLLER Filed oct. 2o, 1961 United States Patent C) 3,067,738 MASSAGE ROLLER Laddie Karlik, 410 E. 163rd St., New York S1, N.Y. Filed Oct. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 146,660 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 57) This application is a continuation-impart of -a prior copending application Serial No. 856,472, filed December 1, 1959 and now abandoned.

The invention relates generally .to massage rollers for massaging the body and more particularly to an improved massage roller that in operation closely duplicates simultaneously the multiple results separately obtained by the hands of a skilled masseur in a variety of different movements, and that provides in combination therewith means for additionally cleansing the surface of the skin.

Massage at the hands of a masseur comprises different useful procedure of movements in a rhythrnieal way. Some of the hands, manipulations may be made by a massage device. Heretofore massage rollers have reproduced only the up and down pressure movements.

It is an object of the invention to provide a combination massage roller having Ia variety of elements with reverse rotary movements for duplicating the effects of the variety of hand movements of -a masseur.

A feature of the improved massage roller is the provision of an additional stroking roller for therapeutic measure in developing a stroking massage and an additional brush roller for developing a reflex stroking massage and cleaning the deciduous skin and dirt raised by massage.

Other objects and features and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a species of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the section line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along section line 3 3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 -is a partial longitudinal cross-'sectional'plan view of a second species of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is 'an end view of the species of the invention shown in FIG. 4;

FIGURE 6v is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view of a third species of the invention, and

FIGURE 7 is la transverse cross-sectional view taken along section line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the invention consists of frame means for holding, yapplying and mounting a pressure roller with a stroking roller and brush roller respectively in a column of pairs of rollers comprising a sleeve 12 concenltrically mounted on a shaft 10 for rotation around the longitudinal axis, ball races 14 being positioned between shaft and sleeve 12 -adjacent each oppositely disposed end with shoulder abutments 16 to retain the sleeve on the shaft in a rotatable position. The sleeve 12 extends axially to the end of `the rollers 28 at each shaft end. Handles 1S are respectively connected to the ends of the shaft by projections 20 which extend oppositely beyond the sleeve ends. Circular arms 22 are also fixed to the shaft projections 20 adjacent the handles 18.

A gear train comprises: internal ring gears 38 mounted into one of the recessed outer ends of the pressure rollers 28; intermediate pinion gears 24 mounted for rotation on the arms 22 radially spaced from -and parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the sleeve 12; and a spur gear 26 fixed to each of the sleeves 12 to be engaged by the associated pinion gear 24 to reversely rotate said ice sleeve 12 with the attached stroking roller 40 and brush roller 42 from the meshed ring gears 38 of the pressure rollers 28 when said pressure rollers are journalled by frictional contact with the body.

Rollers 28 are pressure rollers to appropriately apply a rhythmic light and heavy pressure and kneading massage by up and down movement of the elastic material covering 30 with a firm contact with the body.V The pressure rollers are respectively mounted for rotation on the end port-ions of the sleeve 12 adjacent the arms 22 by means of ball races 32 that are exteriorly mounted on the sleeve end portions with shoulder abutments 33 of the sleeve 12 and roller 28 to retain said rollers rotatable on the sleeve. The covering 30 is ridged alternately with.

two sets of high ridges 34 and low ridges 36, one set of which peripherally extends axially and the other of which peripherally extends circumferentially to provide a plurality of high land low ridge intersections that define radially outward extending projections, to give by the application to the tissues an alternate and intermittent compres-sion by compressing them raga-inst underlying bony surfaces. circumferentially extending ridges of the rollers 28 form a nonskid surface that causes the rollers 28 to rotate on their bearing races 32 when the rollers are pressed against the body yand drawn along parallel thereto byhandles 18 which are lirmly held against rotation. v

Two rollers 40 and 42 are mounted fast on the sleeve 12 for reverse rotation therewith. The roller 40 is a stroking roller for duplicating the stroking massage movements of a hand massage Iand comprises a hub or cylindrical center portion 44 that is iixed on the sleeve 12 concentric therewith and adjacent the inner end of a pressure roller 28. Four radially extending arms 46 are iixedly mounted on the cylindrical center portion or hub 44 in diametrically opposed pairs symmetrically spaced around the periphery of the center portion 44 and extending axial-ly thereon parallel to the ax-is of rotation'of the' sleeve 12. The ends 48 of the extended resilient arm surface 46 mount soft rubberlike pads that make the overall diameter of the roller approximate that of the pressure rollers 28. Preferably the diameter of roller 40 is the same asV that of the small circumferential ridges 36 of the pressure rollers 28.'

Roller 42 is a brush roller for reflex stroking massage and cleaning the skin and comprises a hub or cylindrical portion 50 that is fixed to the sleeve 12 intermediate the stroking roller 40. Axially extending rows of bristles 52 are secured around the periphery of the cylindrical portion or hub 50, the bristles extending radially to form a perimeter equal preferably to that of the high ridges 34 of the pressure rollers 28.

By operation the massage roller is moved by handles 18 over the surface of the body with a considerable degree of pressure, the amount varying in different parts, heavy over thick, eshy masses, light over bony surfaces and thin tissues. The end pressure rollers 28 roll over the skin, rotating freely on the sleeve 12 on which they are journalled by the ball races 32. The rotation of the pressure rollers 28 rotates the attached interior ring gears 38 to drive the engaged intermediate pinion gears 24 attached to the varms 22 around their axis of rotation. The pinion gears 24 also engaging the spur gear 26 attached to the sleeve 12 rotate the sleeve 12 on the shaft 10, journalled therein by ball races 14, oppositely to the rotation of the pressure rollers and their interior ring gears 38 as shown in FIGURE 3. Rollers 40 and 42 ixed on the sleeve 12 Iare thus rotated oppositely to the pressure rollers 28 and Ithereby enhance their respective stroking and brushing actions.

Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5 a second species of the invention illustrates the rollers arranged in a column of The corrugations formed by the axially andk pairs of rollers. A pressure roller 28 and the brush roller 42 comprise one pair and a pressure roller 28 and the stroking roller 40 comprise another pair. The pairs arefrespectively mounted on Vparallel shafts 54; The presure rollers 28Y are respectively fixed on the shafts 54 for rotation therewith and the stroking roller 40 and the brush roller 42 are respectively journalled on the shafts 54 for rotation thereon. The rollers on one of the shafts 54 are reverselyarranged with respect to the rollers on the Yother shaft. Theshafts 54 are supported for rotation by two 4parallel arms 56 integral with a handle 59. The pressure'rollers 28 are ofperably `connected by gears 58, 66 and 60to the adjacent roller of the'nextpaia' ofrollers in-column. A gear 58 is iixed on one of the two oppositel'y'disposed ends of eachV of the shafts 54 for rotation from the pressure rollers 28 attached to the shafts 54; and. gears 60 are fixed to axially outwardly extending sleeve portions 62 and 64 'respectively of the rollers 40 and 42`for rotation with these rollers. Two pinion gears 66'are coupledV with gears 58 and 60 and said gears are mounted for rotation around axes on each of the parallel arms5'6, vprovidedwith a handle 519.

In operation, the device is rolled over fthe body by means'of the handle S9. The pressurerollers 28, loca-ted oppositely on each of the respective shaft ends, rotate thek shafts r54 and -the respectively attached gears 58. Gearsf 60- arerespeetively rotated in a reverse direction byrfthe gears 58 through pairs of intermeshing pinion gearst66. The rollers 40 and 42 to which the gears 60 are fixed by prolonged' sleeves 62 and 64 are thus Vreversely rotated with these sleeves, rotatably mounted on shafts S4to which rollers 28 are fixed.

Referring to FIGURES 6 and 7, a lthird species of the invention is similar to the second species in the arrangementv of rollers, however, both pressure rollers 28 and the stroking and brush rollers 40 and 42 are journalled on4 the shafts 54 Ato rotate freely thereon; On :the adjoining inboard sidesthe'rollers are provided'with ring gearsrSS-which are meshedv with a spindle head gear 66, saidspindle head. gear being rotatably mounted in a, tubular shaft-67; said'tubular shaft being fixed' to ythe arms 68: and 'hand-le 59; The pressure rollers 28l drive byy the meshed'fgearsSS'and 66 inopposite'rotation the:V stroking andfbruzsh rollers'40 v|and.42 ofthe pairsz'of. rollers ofwhich it is one.

Althoughr the invention has'been describednwith a: certain degree of particularity, it isunderstood that-thefpresa ent-'disclosure' lhasvbeen made only by way of example and that'numerouschangesin the details of construction andthe eombinationand arrangement of partsV may be 4.; resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim and desire to be secured by Letters Patent l. ln a massage device, the combination of a pair of pressure rollers provided with high |and low ridges for applying a kneading massage consisting of alternate and intermittent compression to the tissues; a stroking roller for providing stroking massage; a brush roller for providingv reflex stroking massage and cleaning the skin; frame means mounting said stroking roller in alignment with one -of said pressure rolle-rs and said brush roller in alignment with 'the other of said pressure rollers; and a gear train mounted on said frame means land engaging said rollers to provide massaging rotation of said strokingy roller and brush roller in a direction opposite that of said pressure rollers when said pressure rollers are rolled in fr-ictional Contact along thehuman body.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said frame means mounts all of said rollers in coaxial alignment.

3. A device as claimed in claim Il wherein said frame means mounts said rollersin a column of pairs.

4. In a mas-sage device, the combination of a set of pressure rollers provided with high and low ridges for applying a kneading massage consisting of alternate and intermittent compression to Ithe tissues; a stroking roller for providing stroking massage; frame means mounting said strokingroller in alignment with the pressure rollers; and =a gear train mounted on said frame means and engaging `said rollers to provide massaging rotation of said stroking roller in -a `direction opposite that of said pressure rollers when said pressure rollers are rolled in frictional contact along the human body.

5. In a massage device, the combination of a set of pressure rollers provided with high and low ridges for applying :a kneading massageconsi-sting of alternate and intermittent compression to the tissues; a brush roller for providing reflex stroking massage and; cleaning the` skin; frame means-mounting said brush roller-in valignment with said pressure rollers; and a gear train-mounted References Cited in the tile'of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS" Fretwell Nov. 30,Vv 1897 

